NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 32 conference tournaments for 2018-19

Tune In For The Championship

The following three conference tournaments may not be the most fun to watch, but tune in for the championship if you can. These conferences all have 2-3 teams that are a decent amount better than the rest of the conference and the earlier games will probably not be worth missing other tournaments.

27) Big Sky Conference (March 11-16)

I am not quite ready to call the season on Weber State, but right now, it is looking more and more as if we are heading for a Northern Colorado vs Montana Championship in the Big Sky Tournament. Anything can happen, obviously, but the consistency and performance of these two teams over the last few weeks has put a heavy cushion between them and the rest of the conference.

The road team won both matchups between the two schools, so a neutral site contest will certainly leave fans excited and ready for the NCAA Tournament. However, unlike last year’s Montana squad, which was tabbed as a possible Cinderella, whoever wins this year’s Big Sky Tournament will have a huge uphill battle in the Big Dance.

26) Summit League (March 9-12)

Fort Wayne and North Dakota State have been decent teams in Summit League play, but South Dakota State and Omaha have clearly separated themselves at the top of the conference. Both teams sit at least three games ahead of the next best team, splitting their season series, and a rubber match should definitely draw a national audience.

We have been waiting all year for Mike Daum to play in his final NCAA Tournament game, but Omaha was riding a seven game winning streak before their loss at Oral Roberts. If they can win their final game against Denver, they will still be one of the hottest teams entering the tournament. Winning the Summit League Tournament is never easy, as all teams must play every round. That said, a Mike Daum vs Zach Jackson matchup in the Finals would be the result that would get all of us the most excited.

25) Horizon League (March 5-12)

What makes Horizon League different from the previous two tournaments is the fact that the top two teams have lost four and five games each. This could potentially lead to some huge upsets, like Cleveland State’s win over Northern Kentucky from last season, but the Norse and Wright State are still the heavy favorites to make the Finals. I don’t say this often, but in this tournament, we should all be rooting for a 1-seed vs 2-seed Finals.

While a lack of upsets would most likely cost the Horizon League Tournament in terms of intrigue, the resulting Finals would be much closer than the 74-57 result of 2018. In addition to that, the auto-bid would go to a team that could at least compete in the NCAA Tournament.